It's all too easy to switch off from bad news - and it's dangerous too

The full horror of the Grenfell Tower fire in west London is still to emerge. Like millions of others, I watched live as TV breakfast reports showed the blaze in its intensity and eyewitnesses told of their devastating experiences and fury at those who allowed this to happen. It was an obviously devastating experience for those involved – and yet another grim spectacle for everyone viewing it from a comfortable distance. In terms of localised tragedies, it’s been a pitiless few months for the UK. Coming so quickly after the terror attacks in Manchester and London, the Grenfell Tower fire yet again illustrates how fragile life is – and how regularly the modern world brutally crushes it. If it’s not calamity at home, then it’s war, disease, famine and death abroad